Magnetic Island - Part One

No, that's not me.  I have no idea who these people are.  

I found a post I initially started while in Australia, so this is what I originally wrote:

While I got a late start to traveling in Australia, I soon headed to Maggie Island and was not super excited even though I heard it was great.  One can do a lot of hiking, see koalas in their natural habitat, feed wallabies, go to a koala sanctuary where you can hold a koala along with a croc (though not at the same time), snorkeling, etc., etc.  But I was feeling a bit like I was just going through all these expensive tours and just needed a break from it all (even though me going to Maggie was a tour package thing, so…..).  Blame it on the fact that I’m tired of traveling, want a down day, and am feeling a bit jaded.  So far, a lot of the places that people say are amazing and beautiful, I’ve felt I’ve seen better.  Yeah, like I said, I’m feeling a bit jaded and I KNOW that I should be feeling grateful to be in such a beautiful place.  So, I arrive via ferry and suddenly, I AM excited.  It’s a larger island filled with so many different coves/bays, trails, snorkel sights, 4-wheel driving, etc.  I arrive at my hostel, the Horseshoe Bay YHA Backpackers Hostel, and find it to be quite nice.  Lots of outdoor spaces, a large kitchen, a good menu, clean, cool little bungalows for a dorm.

I checked in and then immediately saw signs that we could not bring outside alcohol there which kinda sucks as alcohol is quite expensive in Australia and I had brought two bottles of wine that I could enjoy there and I sure as hell was not going to be lugging them back with me to the mainland.  Instead I decide to take my bottle over to the bay and watch the sunset, eat cheese, hummus, and read book 2 from the Game of Thrones series.  I realize that sitting there was the first time that I truly felt calm and relaxed in a while since leaving Asia.  Don’t’ get me wrong, I loved New Zealand, but I didn’t find the inner peace that I was looking for, possibly because I was always on the move and on such a short schedule there.  And then here, sitting on the beach and just watching the sunset, I was.  And it’s not just any beach that I feel that way on, because I’ve been to a lot of beaches, and they’re not all the same, but something about this place drew me in. 

I literally sat there from 5pm-8pm just looking at the water and reflecting on life.  My life.  What I am doing here.  What I want in this life and from my travels.  What I desire for the future.  And really, just being present, having a straight-forward conversation with the universe hoping it’s listening (perhaps I've gotten a little crazier while out on the road).  It was also one of those times that I realized, I am alone.  Not like, “oh, I’m so lonely.  I have no one!”.  No, not one of those.  I certainly don’t feel sorry for myself or “alone”.  But I am traveling through the world and really, not one person knows where I’m at at any given time.  I have no one to report to and no one expecting me.   There are a few times in my life where I have really felt the weight of what that really means.  The first time was when I decided to do summer school at university.  I was walking to the grocery store through some alley, and no one was around and I was a tad bit scared.  That’s when I realized that if something were to happen to me, no one would know for at least several days, assuming my boyfriend at the time would think something was wrong when I didn’t call him for a few days.  Other than that, it would probably be a few more weeks for someone to notice.  Another time was when I was walking through some rainforests in Washington while on a solo road trip and I was several miles away from a main road in the middle of no where let alone from another human being... and it was snowing so no one's going out driving.  While there have been a few other times, it’s always a moment of clarity in my life.  I honestly feel like my soul is bared to the universe somehow and feel at my most real and raw self. Perhaps that’s when I feel more at one with nature and the universe.  And today, I honestly just sat there watching the palm trees swaying and being present and REALLY watching them, felt like I was witnessing something great.  While many of you may think, “Great, April’s gone loco and is watching wind passing through palm trees.   Is that all she’s doing out there??”  Well, yes.  And no.  I’m witnessing life.  And truly appreciating its essence.  I’m tellin’ ya, it’s often those times when I’m really alone and all of my typical stimulations/stresses are far away that I have more moments of clarity of what I really want in this life…. sometimes, it’s just the wine talking, but I swear I was having a moment with the universe – we like to chat every now and then… and yes, often times over drinks.  I know the universe is listening or I wouldn't be sitting here out in the world typing this.

 After having a lovely chit-chat with the universe (you know, no big deal), an older gentleman approaches me, sits down on the bench with me, and we start chatting.  He tells me he’s from what is formerly known as Carthage.  WHO is from Carthage?  I just remember it to be some place that fought during the Roman empire (and of course I only know that from the movie “Gladiator”).  And to show my true stupidity, I have no idea what country he's still from because I have no idea where Carthage formerly was.  Sounds like a jeopardy question to me.  Any way... We mostly talk about travels, the economy, civilizations collapsing throughout history, and so on.  Really interesting stuff!  At some point he asks me what ethnicity I am and if I meditate.  My reply to him is, “uh, no, not yet”.  He says he can teach me how, but then I mention to him that I’ve been drinking which I knew you are not supposed to meditate while under the influence of stimulants and such…  though would have been interesting to have him teach me meditation… but even more interesting that he doesn't realize a lot of women don't wander off with strangers to their home to "meditate" after a fairly brief conversation.  Then again, I have taken far worse leaps of faith with people I've known in shorter time, nor their name, so I guess it's not that weird.  Any way, he’s been living here on the island and throughout Australia since the 70’s and was reminiscing when there were only two houses in Horseshoe Bay and about the old days on the island, smoking grass, and drinking.  Sounds like a good time back then!  Such a lovely gentleman really.  My kind of people.   I think I just could be in the right place.